What does overwinter mean? Outside? Zone? Inside ?Lighting?Temps?I have mine inside under cheap florescents lights ,some are re flowering right now

"have looked online already, with mixed results"

But have you done a search in this forum? There are quite a few 'overwintering' threads.

And, as Dickie indicated, you haven't given us much information as to what your gardening zone is, whether you're wanting to bring these plants inside for the winter or if you have a greenhouse or other shelter where you plan on keeping them.

Here is a link that might be useful: overwintering threads

in zone 7.yes, i have obviously looked on this forum since, after all, this is where i am posting right? explained my situation as good as one would need to know if they wanted to help rather than critique. wanting to save plants from dying from the snow and below freezing temps outside. as stated, they are in 3 or 4" pots. just wanted to know if it would be better to pot them up to bigger pots. since they have a small rootball, don't know if that is enough to sustain them thru "winter". and again, i have not found any info on this here or elesewhere.if someone is willing to help, would appreciate any advice. thanks

I'm trying to overwinter my peppers on a southern windowsill. They are in 1.5 liter pots (about 14cm across). I've chopped them down and removed all leaves - they are from 15 to 25 cm high. Every stump is now showing signs of new growth and even the tiny flowerbuds are forming :) It's impossible to make them "hibernate" if it's warm inside.

From what I read, the biggest concern is aphids and spider mites, so you want to check for those regularly.

Pot size does not matter much I think - have you seen the "bonchi"? Bonsai pots are miniature :) The only problem with tiny pots is that they dry out very fast.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bonchis

Indeed! Indoors, I think it's better to err on the side of caution...which means smaller pots.
Peppers do not like wet roots, especially in the low light conditions of most houses during Winter.

The first year that I overwintered a pepper, I used a mix of bark, quartz gravel, perlite, and pumice.
I did not properly screen and rinse my ingredients, and this allowed the small particles to impede drainage.
As a result, my mixes dried very slowly.

Now I use a much faster mix, and I water thoroughly without fear of overwatering.


Josh

Elves - I would question using 3" or 4" pots. Plants that big will get root bound. Also - I would NEVER use peat pots. They don't drain properly and will cause your plants to have "wet feet."
John A

Elves, I am the last person who would be 'critiquing' anyone on this forum. I am not an expert, ask questions here frequently, and only share what I have experienced. Many people end up on this forum from 'googling' and are unfamiliar with the search option here. I was just trying to steer you toward more information.
You did not state in your first post whether your starts were outside or not, or what zone you are in.
I apologize if you were offended.
I personally use 6" to 8" pots and keep the potting mix only slightly moist, treating the plants similar to houseplants for the winter, but it's very dry here. I keep mine near windows and/or fluorescent lamps, and trim back any that get too leggy.

Also my first year trying to over-winter pepper plants. I dug up three plants about a month ago and pruned em way down including roots and placed them in one gallon pots to sit on a windowsill that only gets a few hours of sporadic sunshine. There are two, 2 foot flourescent bulbs overhead that window that do offer a small amount of supplementary light.

To the original poster regarding the plants in the 3-4 inch pots that are about one foot tall, it is very possible that those plants may be rootbound. Maybe pot up to something in the half gallon range?

My problem with the first three was overwatering, all three died. The soil mix retained the water way too much. And there was not enuff solar heat/radiation or dry air and wind to help evap residual moisture.

I have since brought it in two more plants about a week and half ago and have been very light on the water and they seem ok so far. Also these current two plants i am using pots that are half gallon size.

Next year im gonna have to steal Greenman's soil recipe!

Jim

Overwintering takes space. It sounds like you have many juvenile peppers. I would pick a few of each and concentrate on those unless you have a lot of room and time.

Here in zone 8b, I am currently overwintering two Poblano's, one Anaheim, and a chiltepin but they are full grown and in their "homes". I basically leave them outside in the sun and carefully watch freeze warnings. I cover with blankets or if I believe the freeze may be several days, I transfer to the pool house. After the freeze, they go back out.

I always experience some casualties regardless of my care.

Here is how i do it in maryland...This is a 5 year old scotch bonnet....This plant was 2 foot or so and i removed from garden when still green/healthy and pruned main stalk down to 3 inches and roots to 3 inches

This picture is in late march with shoots forming...was pulled from garden in october

Mid may

July

august

{{gwi:1240489}}

I pot in pro-mix bx and keep in warm place with light(i have sunroom)...I keep soil moist,but not wet...I will see shoots by late february on average....

I only fertilize when shoots appear with fish emulsion and kelp extract lightly....

I was going to offer advice, but now I am afraid you'll think I am criticizing, so I won't.

On the other hand, I feel that it is a waste of time to answer people who snap at those who are trying to help them. Unlike noinwi and all the nice people on this forum, I don't care whether you are offended or not.

i have been doing this for 10 years indoors i'll b brief.pot size asbig as you can manage.soil type what you grow them in.sun as much as you can give them.water when they dry.temp as cool as you can.prune dead stuf.no feed.the big problem is aphids.ladybugs do a great job but when they finish they die and the aphids come back. this year i am keeping some in the fridg to release later.tobaco juice helps but is slow .you can add soap but it defoliates if you dont wash it off.i dont use insecticides.expect to lose some but worth the effort.messy

Beating a dead horse again........

Elves,

I see you had a big glass of vinegar before posting a reply.

YMMV, but I never saw a reason to overwinter seedlings, as I don't see the advantage. Plants that have grown for a year - sure. They will have larger, stronger roots and stem.

The one time I tried overwintering, the plants were trimmed to maybe three-four inches and placed under a grow station so they received very little light. I watered them heavily, but only every other week. If I found any new growth - and I did find a few new leaves, I trimmed them.

Personally, if all you have is basically "mature seedlings" why not toss them and start seeds in January or February? Unless you have some decent grow lights, you won't get the Daily Light Intensity you need for them to avoid getting leggy this winter.

Mike

Im attempting to overwinter a couple plants on the windowsill. The 2 pepper plants im trying this on are a Hot Hungarian Wax and a Habanero. I tried a few others earlier in the season but i overwatered them and saturated the soil to much and death occurred.

These two plants im currently trying were full size plants that were in ground all growing season here in NY. I dug them up and trimmed root ball way down to fit into half gallon-ish size pots. Also i trimmed the plants down to about 7 or 8 inch stalks that were totally void of any foliage.

Here is a picture of the plants. From left to right, Hot Hungarian wax, Lemon tree that i planted from seed just for the heck of it, and Habanero. The plants are showing new growth after about three weeks on the windowsill. They get a few hours of sun, and also there is an overhead flourescent fixture above that offers some supplemental light.

And a close up of new growth on Hungarian.

Jimmy

Hey, Jim! They're looking great.
I think you've got the hang of it.

Josh